Can wild birds eat Chicken feed
Chicken feed at first glance at the ingredients will reveal no regular seeds, nuts or fruits wild birds tend to favor, and therefore is the least desirable feed.
Wild birds can eat chicken feed despite the lack of ingredients contained within, which isn't going to be appealing to all but a few backyard birds. House Sparrows and Pigeons may eat what is primarily cereal byproducts; of which any corn or soybeans found in the blend will be eaten more.
Chicken feed is one of many blends of pet or wild bird feed you can indeed feed to all common backyard birds in your yard.
It may not be the most popular, nor a blend that is a favorite of many backyard birds, yet it can be eaten in times of need.
You know what, you aren't going to find it too difficult to get wild birds to eat Budgie seeds, just as you wouldn't with Parrot food wild birds are found to be fond of.
Difference with chicken feed though is most common chicken feed blends don't provide the ingredients wild birds are attracted to, at bird feeders or in the wild.
No seeds or peanuts, including dried fruits are in most chicken feed with only cereal byproducts you will only find House Sparrows to eat, if they ever do. What you feed wild birds is found in pet food, but not in farm bird feed unfortunately.
And remember, if you breed chicken in the yard you could end up wanting to get rid of Sparrows later, as they become a nuisance.
If you have chicken feed spare then go ahead and scatter some on the ground where House Sparrows or Pigeons in particular frequent daily.
While at the same time, never put chicken feed in any kind of feeder intended to store regular wild bird feed.
Birds will eat Chicken feed either way
As it happens when chicken feed is provided to backyard chickens, or to chickens bred at a large scale, wild birds are usually found to steal a small amount of feed, whether you like it or not, thus wild birds will happily eat chicken feed.
Sparrows regularly eat chicken feed which a poulter will often look for solutions to stop House Sparrows eating the food.
Chicken feed isn't really that appetizing to many common backyard birds though, that I know, but that isn't to say they won't when times are desperate.
With that mind, you can only expect one or two wild birds to feed on the limited but still nutritious ingredients in a chicken feed blend.
So you see, while wild birds can eat chicken feed, it isn't all that interesting to wild birds in the first place.
Birds can be found to investigate chicken feed mixes, yet will often fly off without taking even a pinch of wheat.
Will feed on limited ingredients
What chicken feed is mostly made up of is cereal and cereal byproducts: cereal in chicken feed will include some of or all of wheat, corn, sorghum, barley, rye, and soybean.
Soybean is particularly favorable to wild birds and so to is corn however way you provide it to wild birds.
All of which provides plenty of nutrients despite how hard it is to get wild birds to feed on any mix of commonly available chicken feed blends.
The limited ingredients wild birds feed on, or no ingredients at all, will probably lead to no feed eaten at all.
As a result, you will probably see more chicken feed wasted than what is eaten.
Alternatively, you may be better off feeding uncooked or cooked rice to the same few wild birds who may eat chicken feed. And with that, you can feed wild birds on a mix of original cereals which mustn't contain salt or flavors.
Sparrows certainly like it
What wild birds will eat chicken feed if they in fact actually do, while bearing in mind it can be a rare occurrence, it will probably be just House Sparrows eating the feed.
If House Sparrows are what you have frequenting your yard regularly, and in big numbers, then it may be possible to offload unwanted chicken feed - or chicken feed you only want to experiment with.
And while attracting more House Sparrows to your yard wouldn't be the end of the world, feeding Sparrows on what will be mostly uneaten chicken feed will cause a mess.
Mess with chicken feed will see it go everywhere along with House Sparrows possibly pooping along with it.
Rarely will you see other wild bird species eating your chicken feed blend, but if you did then it will be one or more of Pigeons, Doves, Blue Jays, Crows, and Grackles.
Maybe with the exception of Blue Jays, as you can see chicken feed won't attract the most inviting wild birds to your yard.
Ideal too use to keep wild birds away
Indeed, as a matter of fact chicken feed can still be used to scare away wild birds who you don't wish to feed out in your yard.
What I mean by that is, you can actually feed unpleasant birds or wild birds who appear to be stealing the bird feeder food; while at the same time you could be keeping more friendly songbirds from accessing your feeders.
While attracting smaller backyard birds to feeders with a variety of proper wild bird feed like seeds, peanuts and suet - only provide chicken feed to nuisance birds.
Larger birds like Pigeons and Doves barely access a small compact suspended feeder anywhere, but in an attempts too, will keep friendly songbirds away.
Put chicken feed in a dish or scatter on the ground to allow these kinds of wild birds to feed on that; whilst at the same time will free up the bird feeders for the birds you wish to feed - out of a seed, suet or peanut feeder suspended on the bird feeder pole.
Summarize
To be truthfully honest, chicken feed isn't all that interesting to wild birds, as it never has the ingredients wild birds are attracted to in the wild, or at our bird feeders in the yard.
Backyard birds' diets are made up mostly of insects, nuts, fruits and seeds in the wild, none of which is found in any chicken feed blends. Wheat products can be eaten, yet too few wild birds will chose to eat this out of chicken feed on the ground.
To use chicken feed in an effort to attract wild birds, will see little in the way of the wild birds you wish you could invite into the yard.
Instead, the wild birds who may show up to eat this feed will only be one of or more than House Sparrows, Pigeons, Doves, Grackles, Blue Jays, and Crows.
None of which I imagine you'll be in a rush to feed in your backyard on chicken feed.
With that, you could add wild bird seeds, peanuts and suet pellets to the chicken feed mix, to at least make the chicken feed more appealing.
With the limited ingredients found in chicken feed what wild birds don't find in nature or at bird feeders, little success will come at feeding wild birds on chicken feed.
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